Worcester Wrenches or Magnetic Hydrants

Is anyone from a city or town with magnetic bearings around the hydrant nut to prevent kids or vandals from opening the valve? In Worcester, MA the F.D. uses a modified hydrant wrench that can attach to the nut so it can be opened. My dept. has several of these wrenches on the engines and the tower so that when they are sent to Worcester for mutual aid, they can open the hydrants.

Basically it puts a "cover" that can't be removed (so they claim ) over the nut on top of the hydrant. The hydrant wrench has a powerful magnet inside of it that "grabs" another magnet in the special cover that then allows the whole assembly to spin the nut.

They're "supposed" to work, but any inner-city kid can either find a the wrench or bust if off....

Why? Because we are firemen. We are decent human beings. We would be compelled by the overwhelming impulse to save an innocent child from a tragic, painful death because in the end, we are MEN.

I A C O J
FTM-PTB

Honorary Disclaimer: While I am a manufacturer representative, I am not here to sell my product. Any advice or knowledge shared is for informational purposes only. I do not use Firehouse.Com for promotional purposes.

Basically it puts a "cover" that can't be removed (so they claim ) over the nut on top of the hydrant. The hydrant wrench has a powerful magnet inside of it that "grabs" another magnet in the special cover that then allows the whole assembly to spin the nut.

They're "supposed" to work, but any inner-city kid can either find a the wrench or bust if off....

Tough one. I would still go with the Worcester wrench despite the amount of time that is shaven off when using a magnetic hydrant. Keeps vandals from wasting our water supply.

Okay, what's so special about the Worcester Wrench then?

What is it? Obviously you know so much about firefighthing that you think that it makes a difference, so why don't you tell us what exactly you are talking about.

BTW: Outside of the greater Worcester area, I bet people have never heard of a "WORCESTER WRENCH".

And it'll NEVER completely stop vandals from getting water out of a hydrant. NYC has tried a bunch of things and you can see hydrants flowing every day on street corners when the temperature is above 65*

Why? Because we are firemen. We are decent human beings. We would be compelled by the overwhelming impulse to save an innocent child from a tragic, painful death because in the end, we are MEN.

I A C O J
FTM-PTB

Honorary Disclaimer: While I am a manufacturer representative, I am not here to sell my product. Any advice or knowledge shared is for informational purposes only. I do not use Firehouse.Com for promotional purposes.

What is it? Obviously you know so much about firefighthing that you think that it makes a difference, so why don't you tell us what exactly you are talking about.

BTW: Outside of the greater Worcester area, I bet people have never heard of a "WORCESTER WRENCH".

And it'll NEVER completely stop vandals from getting water out of a hydrant. NYC has tried a bunch of things and you can see hydrants flowing every day on street corners when the temperature is above 65*

Whoa. Take it easy fella. I was just posting my opinion. Never said I knew everything about firefighting.

Why? Because we are firemen. We are decent human beings. We would be compelled by the overwhelming impulse to save an innocent child from a tragic, painful death because in the end, we are MEN.

I A C O J
FTM-PTB

Honorary Disclaimer: While I am a manufacturer representative, I am not here to sell my product. Any advice or knowledge shared is for informational purposes only. I do not use Firehouse.Com for promotional purposes.

My city has what is called "anti-tamper" hydrant bonnets. What it amounts to is a cast in sleeve that extends up around the stem nut protects the stem nut. The wrench is a socket style, just like the one in your toolbox, except that is a pentagon. It works well, the problem we have is people removing the caps for scrap and/or filling the barrel up with just about anything imaginable. I have seen hydrants that the city has adapted by welding a sleeve in place, but these can be twisted of with a large pipe wrench if the welder did a poor job.

Is anyone from a city or town with magnetic bearings around the hydrant nut to prevent kids or vandals from opening the valve? In Worcester, MA the F.D. uses a modified hydrant wrench that can attach to the nut so it can be opened. My dept. has several of these wrenches on the engines and the tower so that when they are sent to Worcester for mutual aid, they can open the hydrants.

What's the regular name for a "Worcester wrench"? Can't find any pics on Google Image Search.

Yeah, it's basically a magnetic lock. Mike, it doesnt have anything to do with saving time, that's the tool they have to use to open it. It would take them the same amount of time as it would take us to open a hydrant.

Vandal devices

There are several Devices out there for hydrant abuses , used in Inner City areas , the magnetic lock is the "newist: and from the looks of it several new manufacturers have stolen the idea for themselves.. From Rodon http://www.rodoncorp.com/firedept/1.3.hydralocks.html
The magnetic device Like any other man made device Can be defeated If someone is smart enough, I Can attest, In 6 years My department has Only Had One of them defeated out right and a couple of guys have figured out ways to manufacture or fabricate a device that would work. BUt I wont say here "How" they accomplished it...

The devices have cut down considerably the amount of abuses as compared with all other devices, Including the "CCL" device that someone mentioned which has a ring protecting the stem, forcing youto use a "Socket" style device uears back they used a Split wrench which was fit Over and attached below what Looks like a PIPE Capover the stem, and the strem itself would look like a D if that cap was removed the flat spot
co-incided with a flatspot on the wrench and a pin would hold both halves of the wrench together to operate the nut , we also Use "hydroshield" caps http://www.rodoncorp.com/firedept/1.4.hydracaps.html
which are rounded and use a special wrench to remove the caps (a real Pain) often the Hydroshield caps along with Magnetic locks make the hydrant too much work to bother with (since its hot out) when It comes down to it having the devices Might seem stupid given the amount of work it is to get water , But If You work In the inner city, In neighborhoods where every resident believes IF youtake away They're RIGHT to allow they're children to get RUN over by traffic, They're RIGHT to throw Rocks , Bottles, etc at Anyone who shuts down "they're" Hydrant despite who's Basement is flooding because of the water flow, They're Right to Impede traffic and even create opportunities to allow neighborhood dregs to "use" the traffic to Car Jack and ROB unsuspecting folks at gun point, IF Youhave ever been the Company officer dragged into court and named in the lawsuit for the
wrongful death of a 4 year old girl, who was knocked down, an washed under the wheels of a pickup truck , when she was pushed By an older kid out of the way, when the Fire Company had been to and shut down the illegally opened hydrant noless then 8 times between 10 am and 4:15 pm when the incident occurred, Yep, wherewere the childs Parents? sitting on da stoop just inside the housing facility... the suit was brought and defeated 3 differant times over over 5 years against the Officer and fire department , against the City and The fire department , against the water Department , BUt NEVER against the dumbA** who opened the hydrant illegally or the parents ..of course...

While the poster refers to them as Worcester< they are a bitmore universal then that.. Google searches or other searches of anti vandal Hydrant devices should clue you in as to various types of devices Including Hydro shield Caps and other devices....